


Liberty Prints

by angryroe



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I'm Bad At Tagging, Journalism, Journalist AU, M/M, Rating May Change, Writer Alexander Hamilton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 16:44:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13391979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angryroe/pseuds/angryroe
Summary: Alternate universe where John Laurens is the newest member of Liberty Prints, a political magazine run by George Washington which is published America wide.John meets a very eccentric worker, Alexander Hamilton, who changes the way he sees the world. Alex, however, seems to be hiding something.I suck at summaries but I promise it's gonna be good! Just trust me





	Liberty Prints

John Laurens had faced many challenges in his life.

As a child, he struggled to understand why his mother was no longer in her garden, why she had never come home from the hospital even when his baby brother did.

In high school, he struggled to fit in. He joined every athletics club he could fit into his schedule, taking up tennis and baseball and track.

At university, he struggled through half a year of doing a dumb law course he never wanted to do. He struggled to tell his father that he didn’t want to be a lawyer, but a doctor.

He struggled to see how getting into politics instead was a compromise, but also knew he would struggle even more to fund himself through a medicine degree.

After graduation, he struggled to tell his father he was gay. He struggled to realise that his phone calls were never going to be returned afterwards. He struggled with the unsaid goodbyes to his little brothers and sisters.

Then, for a whole year after, John struggled every morning to get up out of his ‘bed’, if you could call it that, and drag himself down to his local, run down fruit market at 6am to stack shelves and manage the register.

But this, perhaps, was one of the most daunting challenges he has ever had to face.

The building loomed in front of him, blue tinted windows covering all fifteen stories of it making it reflect in a way which left John dizzy. He nervously fiddled with his bag, which he clutched to his chest as a barrier from the unknown.

He really should hurry inside, but it seems that all his excitement that had welled in his chest when he received the phone call last Friday has completely vanished and transformed into something that seemed a little closer to dread.

People buzzed around him, some giving annoyed glances as he blocked their path. No one seemed to spare the building a second glance, it being just another building, another obstacle which simple existed in the back of their minds as they passed by each day, coffee in hand. John wondered how something that glowed so intensely could be ignored, dulled in the eyes of those who pass by.

John honestly had no idea how he landed this job.

He saw the position posted online, and was about to completely ignore it before pausing. He was technically qualified, having done four years of politics as well as running a blog which had a decent following. But he was young, only 25, and surely there were people more experienced, particularly in journalism.

He sent in his resume anyway, was surprised when he was called into an interview, and ecstatic when he got the job.

Perhaps the miraculous nature of the situation was what was holding him back, cementing his feet into the pavement as he stood outside, looking in.

As he glared at his feet, mentally willing them to move, a small voice startled him.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

A young man stood beside him, his shoulder length black hair pulled back into a ponytail. John stared at the man, unsure if he was speaking to him or mumbling to himself as he admired the building in awe. When the man turned to him, quirking a questioning eyebrow, John felt the air leave his lungs.

The man’s dark eyes seemed to read right through John, analysing his every thought and picking apart his very soul. His eyes held heavy bags beneath them, signifying perhaps a few too many restless nights, but they still shone actively and excitedly.

“Yeah,” John croaked out dumbly.

“It’s kind of surreal to know that you work here. Although, it’s not nearly as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside.”

John hadn’t realised that they were shaking hands until the man pulled away, snorting when John’s hand dropped like dead weight. 

“I’m Alexander Hamilton. You’re John Laurens, right?”

John nodded, attempting to salvage his dignity as best he could.

“Yeah,” he coughed, suppressing a blush threatening to spill at the crack in his voice. “I’m the new journalist for the Q&A column. Which department do you work in?”

Alexander hesitated for a moment before responding, “I’m in Contemporary Political Opinions. But I kind of just do everything.” He coughed, a slight awkward pause settling between them before he continued. “Everyone’s really excited to meet you.”

“Oh?” John’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yeah. To be honest, we’re all hoping you’re not like the previous Q&A writer. He’s so indecisive he would create more questions than he would answer. He got moved to the Local Issues Column.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

There was another awkward pause before Alexander turned, walking briskly towards the building. John stood there, staring at him. When Alex realised he was not being followed, be turned and looked at John expectantly.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Like magic, those words seemed to unglue John’s feet from the pavement, and he hurriedly followed his new friend into the shining building. John had a feeling that following Alex would be a common theme from now on.

 

~*~

 

The inside of Liberty Prints was, as Alex stated, not as overwhelming as the exterior. It still made John a little dizzy, the marble floors and scattered potted plants putting him out of place with his jeans and backpack (he was told that no formal dress was required, to dress comfortably so that he could focus better on his writing, but he still felt severely underdressed).

Alex led him to the front desk, where a young receptionist perked up immediately, a coy smile playing across her bright red lips.

“Alex,” she regarded him with a smooth voice. Alex only gave her a polite smile, handing her his check in card. Her eyes locked onto John’s. “And you must be John Laurens. I’m Maria. Washington was going to have you come to him right away, but there’s been a change of plans.”

She gave back Alex’s card, and slipped John his own. “This is your key to this building. You need to check in every morning, and again before you leave. So, I guess we will be seeing each other pretty often.” She offered John a kind smile, but before he could respond Alex piped in.

“Why is there a change of plans?”

Maria dragged her gaze back to Alex, a playful smile challenging him. She shifted in her seat.

“There’s a meeting with Washington. You’ll need to be there too; he wants the top writers and editors for each department. I could walk you there, show our new friend around-”

“Why wasn’t there an announcement? We usually get a week’s notice.”

Maria shrugs, leaning further so their faces were inches apart. She spoke softly, “It was last minute. Big news apparently.”

John is surprised to see Alex’s ears turn red as he fumbles with his card, sliding it into his pocket. Maria looks up at him through her eyelashes, fluttering them. John gives an awkward cough, but the two of them continue to lock eyes in an intense battle John couldn’t interpret.

Alex broke the silence.

“Let’s go, John. Thanks for the offer Maria, but I can show John around myself.”

Maria said nothing for a beat, but then leant back, sparing John a sly smile.

“So, John. You’re a lot more handsome in person.”

John choked on air and Alex groaned quietly, leading him away as Maria laughs, waving her fingers at them goodbye.

“Sorry about that,” Alex mumbled once they entered the elevator, pressing the ‘Level 10’ button. “She can be a bit much.”

“No, it’s fine,” John replied, having mostly recovered. “Just took me by surprise, is all.”

Alex grinned at him. John felt a bit faint.

“You took it pretty well. You should have seen Mulligan’s face when she started playing with his tie. I think he stopped breathing.” John chuckled along with Alex.

“She sounds like fun.”

Alex hesitated, his face showing a small flicker of worry.

“Hey, listen. Don’ try anything with Maria. She’s got a husband and I’ve seen people get into trouble when they mess around with her.”

John opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the elevator dinged, signalling their arrival.

The metal doors opened smoothly to reveal an open room with dark green carpeted floor. Several people were talking in hushed tones, some already walking into the open room and taking their seats. John felt his stomach lurch at the sudden realness of the situation.

Alex looked at him, an amused spark in his eye as he noticed his new friend’s excitement.

“Ready?”

John grinned.

“Yes.”

 

~*~

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.”

George Washington was just as powerful as John had imagined him to be. He could barely contain himself from jumping around in his seat, but couldn’t help but grin at Alex who smiled right back beside him.

“First of all, I would like to welcome a new member to our team, John Laurens.” There was warm applause which John nervously waved at. “He will be writing for our Response Column, working with Margarita Schylur. Due to this, there have been a few rearrangements regarding who writes for what column. Aron Burr, as discussed, you will be transferred to the Local Issues column.”

The girl Washington referred to, Peggy, waved brightly at him, and John smiled back.

“Additionally,” Washington continued, “I have decided that it would be in our best interests to place you, Angelica, away from your previous position in CPO into Local Issues with Burr.”

Angelica smiled tightly, and Burr politely nodded.

“What?! No, Angelica and I-” Alex blurted out in horror, Washington cutting him off sternly.

“Hamilton, I know these changes are difficult but they are the best for our team. No offense, Mr. Burr, but Angelica is needed in that department to ensure that the writing maintains a certain degree of passion.”

Burr smiled bitterly to the side and Alex slumped in his seat.

“Moreover, to replace Angelica, I will ask you, Jefferson, to-”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Hamilton-”

“Mr. Washington, sir, I never thought I would live to say this phrase, but I agree with Hamilton. Is this really necessary?” Thomas Jefferson was sat up, looking at his boss with pleading eyes.

“Yes.” The look Washington gave the both of them spoke for itself. They both gave each other deathly glares, but did not speak out again.

“Finally, Charles Lee will replace Thomas’s position in Historical Perspectives. Do you have any objections to that, Madison?”

Madison shook his head, and Washington gave him an appreciative nod.

“Now, the reason I’ve called you all in today. Last night, I was contacted by the major publishing firm, Imperium.”

A low mumbling disrupted the curious silence in the room. Washington continued.

“They have announced that they intend to take one American magazine, and publish it internationally. They will not only be selling our magazine across the globe, but will also provide funds to create bases in Japan, London and Argentina.

“This means we will be publishing issues which include not just American news and politics, but also relevant issues in outside nations. Their purpose is to attempt to encourage a world where people know and experience more than what happens in their own boarders. Liberty Prints has been selected as a candidate.”

Loud, excited mummers filled the room. John looked at Alexander, who seemed to have now forgotten his previous upset.

“This is big! We’ve been waiting for something like this for months!” Alex mumbled. The two looked over at Washington, who stood patiently, an amused glimmer in his eyes. “This has been Washington’s goal for years.”

The mumbles settled as Washington patiently held up a hand, calling for silence.

“This is all very big news, but this also means big work. To go from simply being a candidate to the chosen victor, each magazine selected must produce a pilot issue to be published by the end of this month. This will have to be created separately to our April issue, released domestically in three weeks time.

In two months, the highest selling magazine will be chosen. By the end of the day, your tasks will be emailed to you providing details of what must be done for both our pilot issue and our April issue. I know this seems daunting, but this is what we have all been working towards. We cannot throw away our shot.”

“What other magazines have been contacted?” Charles Lee, a man with slicked black hair, asked. He sat a few seats away from Alexander and John, and whilst he asked the question to Washington, he was staring rather intently in their direction, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

John turned to Alexander, who suddenly sat awfully still in his seat. A strange tension vibrated through Alex’s skin. Washington continued, clearly displeased with the interruption.

“Well, we have not been directly informed of any other magazines potentially involved in this opportunity. However, credible sources have reported that we have good reason to believe that Kings Co. have also been selected to participate.”

Groans and hisses filled the room. Even John made an uncomfortable noise; he too knew of the tense relationship between the two companies.

Their rivalry was as old as time, dating back to when Washington worked at the competing company himself. He was once the second to the head of Kings Co., George King, himself, holding the second highest position, before quitting suddenly and launching his own press.

The reasoning behind his leaving was never entirely clear, but the two magazines have been head to head for years.

“Settle down. I know there is a lot of pressure, but we are more than capable. We have a much grander staff, and we certainly have the right motivation to win this. I will now ask you all to return to your work. Thank you.” He dismissed the room and briskly began collecting his things.

As soon as Washington’s final words left his mouth, Alex leapt from his chair and beelined towards him, leaving John confused and alone in his seat.

 “Hi, you must be John?” Peggy stood beside him, extending a hand and smiling warmly at him. John accepted her handshake and stood up, nodding.

“You’re Margarita” he stated, more than asked, and she confirmed it with a single, perky nod.

“Call me Peggy. We clearly have a lot of work set up for us. Let me know if it gets a little overwhelming, but I’m sure you can manage. Come, I’ll take you to Level 6, that’s where our department is.”

John glanced over at Alexander, who was sourly pouting at the floor while Washington scolded him wearily, seeming almost routinely. John smirked as Alex retorted with sass, to which Washington rolled his eyes.

“He’s truly something, Alexander. Don’t bother waiting for him, he’ll be by Washington’s side for a few more hours. It’s kind of his thing.” Peggy spoke with affection laced in her voice, with the tone of a friend who has watched her friend fall from the same tree multiple times, only to climb up again. “He’ll probably find you again when he’s done being a pest.”

“How?” John was surprised at the worry in his voice, as was Peggy judging by her expression.

“Alex knows everyone who works here, and he knows everything _about_ everyone. I can guarantee you that he looked you up and secured your details in his files the moment Washington decided to hire you. He will find you John.”

“That explains how he knew me immediately this morning,” John mumbled. “I didn’t know he was Washington’s secretary.”

“He’s not.” Peggy deadpanned.

John stood in a stunned silence.

He snorted, laughter escaping his lips. Peggy smirked wearily at first, but then couldn’t help but to join in laughter. John hoped that the rest of his employment would look something like this.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you're interesting in reading more! 
> 
> Otherwise the rest of the chapters may just sit on my computer for my own entertainment haha.
> 
> Much love!


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